This easy Lemon Artichoke Pasta comes together in 15 minutes and is packed with flavor! The combination of the lemon and artichoke is so bright and delicious in this pesto-like sauce. Your family will love it. And you will love how the fresh herbs in this amazing dinner recipe to life.
The original version of this recipe made it’s debut on MKE waaayyy back in 2008. Honestly, I had forgotten how much I LOVED it until I was going back through some older posts for recipe inspiration.
The pesto that is used in this lemon artichoke pasta was actually a recipe I created to be used in paninis…and it is still delicious in that application as well. But for the carb lover inside of me, I knew it would be killer on top of a pasta as well.
While this recipe is only 357 calories a serving, you could up the healthy-factor a bit by using whole wheat pasta as well. I use it all the time and my kids didn’t even notice when I made the switch 🙂
Where do artichokes come from?
Artichokes are actually the bud of a plant from the thistle family. The plant grows quite large and if not harvested, the bud will eventually become a violet colored flower, which is not edible.
We eat the heart of an artichoke because that is where the “meat” of the vegetable is inside. It is surrounded thistle-like petals. While completely delicious, artichokes can be a bit challenging to learn to prep properly because you are only looking for that delicious heart.
Luckily for this recipe, all you need to do is open and drain already prepped and cooked artichoke hearts from a jar or can!
Use of fresh herbs in Lemon Artichoke Pasta
While both the lemon and artichoke are the stars of this recipe, the use of fresh herbs truly bring this dish alive. And, you have options my friend!
My favorite combination is using fresh cilantro and thyme, but I also know that for some people, cilantro tastes like soap. You can easily substitute flat leaf Italian parsley for the cilantro or even fresh basil. Since basil is a stronger herb, I would cut the amount in half so it doesn’t overpower the dish.
Looking for more pasta recipes?
Cheesy Spinach Tomato Pasta Bake 
Chicken Avocado Pasta Salad
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Print Lemon Artichoke Pasta
Delicious and super fast dinner recipe for a busy weeknight….and tastes so fresh!
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: Serves 8
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Main dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/8
- Calories: 357
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 677 mg
- Fat: 15 g
- Saturated Fat: 4 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 46 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 11 g
- Cholesterol: 11 mg
Keywords: easy pasta recipe, artichokes, lemon, parmesan cheese
Jeff and Cara says
well I am FINALLY going to make a couple of your recipes! I am very excited about it and have committed to trying new things this week (especially if they are easy recipes)!! We are going to try to wonton soup and the linguine. Keep the good recipes coming and I promise to post comments about the ones we try :-)! Also, thanks for your comments on our blog. Jeff and I laughed so hard when we read the last one you- it really does feel like you put those nurses out so much when you call them. I am sure you experienced that a lot this past year with all of the hospital visits! We are so glad that you are doing better though, and we REALLY look forward to the end of next month!!! I am counting down the weeks/days!
Faith says
I made this last night–yum! I used fresh basil instead of the cilantro (my husband is not a fan) and Barilla multigrain spaghetti (out of linguine). Everyone loved it–even the kids who are generally averse to anything green. I sliced chicken over the top to appease my carnivore husband, and served with steamed veggies and fresh bread. My kids wanted to know what the special occasion was. Thanks for the post!
Carole says
Glad you enjoyed it and I bet basil was delicious. I debated between cilantro or italian parsley when I made mine. Never even thought of basil! I bet the chicken on top was great too. Thanks for trusting me enough to try it 🙂
Jeff and Cara says
I made another one! I thought this recipe was great, but I think next time I will try it with basil instead of cilantro. It was very good though! Thanks for all the ideas!!!